OneMorgan County brought the International Music Festival to Fort Morgan on Saturday afternoon as families and visitors enjoyed a variety of cultural activities.

Music, food, and games from around the world were celebrated in the FMHS commons during the performances in the auditorium. The four main performances were the Kalama Polynesian Dancers, the District Pipe Band, the Mokomba Ensemble and Fiesta Colorado.

“Our goal is to bridge the gap between the receiving community and the incoming community,” Susana Guardado, the director of One Morgan County said. “Right now, we have twenty-seven languages present in the [Fort Morgan] community. I think we’ve gotten past the point of tolerance, and now we’re focused on embracing the diversity.”

Rena Frasco, chair of the OneMorgan County, said that she’s watched the International Music Festival grow in both size and diversity since it’s beginning. “The community has become very engaged and interested with the different groups of people that are living here,” she said. “You know, it’s a great problem to have when there’s so many people in attendance that we have to request more tables.”

“Fort Morgan is the most diverse community in the state of Colorado when looking at percentages of ethnic groups,” Dr. Eric Ishiwata explained. Ishiwata is a CSU Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies and has been working with the community in Fort Morgan to help integrate the influx of East African refugees over the past several years.

Dr. Ishiwata recognized Houepa Akpamou and Arnold Akele from Benin, West Africa as outstanding community members who are working hard to improve the health conditions in Fort Morgan. Both Akpamou and Akele serve as members of Fort Morgan Cultures United For Progress, a grass-roots, resident-led organization focused on addressing health equity issues in the city. “We are strongly committed to making Fort Morgan a healthy place to live all people,” Akele said.

“The community is brought together by the International Music Festival and it’s a privilege to experience the variety of cultures and religions that are present here,” Farah Hussein Karshe, a high school student said. Karshe has lived in Fort Morgan for twelve years and moved here when he was a child.

Taylor Jordan, the ELL teacher at the Fort Morgan high school said that she’s watched the festival progress in terms of ensuring that everyone in our community is represented. “It’s something that we’re working towards and always trying to improve, but the food and music really brings people together and it’s fun getting to experience all of the cultures,” she said. As an ELL teacher, Jordan works with a diverse range of children who need guidance in learning English. “It’s not easy to come here and learn an entire new language, but they manage to do it, and it’s impressive,” she said.

The International Music Festival is one of the largest events held by OneMorgan County, which is an award-winning nonprofit organization that was started in 2005 as part of a volunteer- based community initiative. Over the past several years, Morgan County’s increasingly diverse population led to a corresponding need for community cohesion initiatives, which OneMorgan County provides through its programs and events. The organization recently made the transition from a “pop-up community center” and has moved into a building on 106 East Kiowa Avenue.